Positioning the pieces
Every step Matthias takes towards the exit is a battle against his instincts, making his legs feel like they are weighed down with several pounds of rocks each. The brand on his arm burns angrily in protest with the increasing distance, demanding that he turn back to remain by Lukas' side to save him like he promised and bound himself to do. It is a stark conflict to every single emotion he can read from Lukas, which are all warning him firmly away.
His lips still tingle in memory of their kiss and it only distracts him further.
He drags a hand through his hair as he moves, attempting to get it into some semblance of order, but he doubts it has much of an effect with whatever ragged expression he surely must be wearing. If anyone should see him he must look like an utter disaster.
The ashes and the foxglove are safely tucked away in his pockets and out of sight. The iron shackles however look a little suspicious where they rattle away from his belt when he moves, but there is nothing he can do to change that, because he is not willing to leave them behind. He makes sure to pull his sleeves down as far as they will go to hide his brand and the rapidly darkening bruises on his wrists from sight, but there are specks of blood scattered all across the front of his clothes that are sure to draw attention if noticed.
The circumstances of his and Lukas' goodbye could certainly have been better, but this time they got the chance to say goodbye proper and not trapped on separate sides of prison bars. They should probably consider themselves lucky for this chance, but it is still hard to leave when neither of them know what the future will bring and the city is on the verge of chaos
After what feels like both the blink of an eye and half an eternity at the same time, he stands before the door leading back outside He is even lucky enough to not run into a single guard on the way there. They must be truly arrogant in the belief that no outsiders can make their way through the several layers of walls, because the hallways appear completely abandoned, and this is the second time Matthias has gotten around here.
That is certainly going to change shortly when the king gets word of what has just happened right under his nose. The guards are not going to leave this route open again. The thing Matthias does not know is how long it will take before the guards take measures, but he is not intending wait around and find out either.
It all depends on Lukas and if he can delay in relaying the news in any way or not. When he can stall no longer, these halls will be swarming with guards in a very short time. All of them will be trying to figure out how a pack of rats from the slums outside has made their way through so many walls, a task that should have been impossible, at least from their point of view.
He steps outside and the air is like a slap in the face; cold and sobering.
Knowing that he has to move fast and that every second counts, Matthias skids down the slope of the hill rather than walk; anything to save him a few seconds on his escape. The guards at the bottom are just as sloppy as before, and there is no problem getting past them this time either. Those men are probably going to face some serious consequences after having let at least four rats make their way past them in broad daylight. He shudders to thing just what might be in store for them considering that the last guards that failed in their duty ended up executed in front of the entire city as a warning for others.
It is a minor miracle that nobody bothers him on his manic walk through the district either. He makes it to the wall and then rushes for the section surrounding the main square where his search for Berwald can begin. They had agreed to meet here before dark sometime, but there are still hours of daylight left, and Berwald has no idea of knowing that he should abandon his mission and return to the square.
There are a few suspicious glances thrown his way at his disheveled appearance, but nobody cares enough to ask any questions, and Matthias decides quietly for himself that the arrogant bastards deserve rebels and rats sneaking around right under their noses.
The next half hour seems like the longest in Matthias' life as he searches for Berwald , all the while expecting bells of alarm to sound from the castle at any second and sending the city into chaos. He is sweaty and tense by the time he notices a familiar figure that is just a little bit taller than most of the others and breathes out a sigh of relief and quickly makes his way over.
He makes sure to keep his voice low and throws an extra glance around to make sure nobody is immediately paying attention before he grabs his friend sharply by the shoulder to turn him around. "Ber," he hisses. "We need to get back to Leah right now and this can't wait."
Berwald startles first at the touch before he recognizes the voice, but then pales as he takes in Matthias' appearance. "What happened to you?" he asks. "Is that blood? Have you been in a fight?" His voice sounds increasingly panicked along with each question.
"I had a run-in with the Rat King at the castle," Matthias whispers back, and when Berwald shows no sign of moving, Matthias begins pushing him towards the stairs closest to the merchant district to get them moving. "I will tell you everything later when we're not surrounded by unfriendly ears, but the important thing is that he is dead and won't come after us anymore." He breathes harshly. "The problem is that the guards will notice the body soon, and then the whole guard district will be turned on its head. If we want to get any of the black powder out of the guard district, we are going to have to do it right now, in broad daylight and without getting more uniforms first or we're going to lose our only chance of getting it done."
"Okay," Berwald agrees easily, but Matthias can see the shock on his face as he tries to process the information. "We'll go, and we'll figure this out."
They move along quickly after that, and luckily Berwald has more presence of mind and manages to make up and excuse about Matthias feeling ill when one of the guards actually does their job well enough to ask where the two of them are headed in such a hurry.
Matthias is more distracted, trying not to dwell on what transpired in the laboratory, struggling to keep his legs from collapsing underneath him before they can make their way back. He does not have the presence of mind to come up with any excuses, fueled by desperation and determination, he only wants to see the tasks through while they still can.
They have barely made they way to the correct section of the merchant district when they hear bells chiming from deep within the center of the city, the castle or the guard district most likely. Somebody has raised the alarm, calling the guards to attention, and the scramble to get information and secure the city is likely to begin.
"Just keep going," Matthias insists. "It should take them some time to figure out exactly what happened. We just have to be quick and do our thing before they shut down the guard district."
They make it back within minutes after, bursting in the front door of the little shop, startling Leah and the three other people talking intensely over a stack of papers on the main counter.
Leah gives them a glare, and looks just about ready to chew them out. Both for scaring everyone present and for putting them all at risk by bursting into her shop like a pair of maniacs in full guard outfits in broad daylight. Then she takes notice of their appearance and immediately switches back to the professional healer that knows how to stay calm in face of a crisis. She knows to handle the most pressing matters first and deal with minor issues when she has the time.
"What happened?" she snaps. "Is he injured?" She gestures towards Matthias who begins to wonder if he should be insulted that she speaks about him as if he is not even present. He must truly look like shit if she does not even trust him to answer a simple question.
"I'm fine!" Matthias says sharply. "It is not my blood." He takes a breath, trying to calm down. "I don't know if you heard the bells just now, but we need every willing person we can get our hands on right now to move black powder right now or we'll lose the chance forever."
Leah grows pale at the news.
So do the three others, but she recovers quickly, turning to her guests and not wasting time by asking questions. "You heard the man," she says firmly. "You three go out and spread the word among our network to get more people to help. Then return here as quick as you can. I'll find somebody to send word to the outer district, let them know what is going on so they can be ready to move the black powder into their district or go to ground if everything goes wrong."
It seems that their newly established network of city rebels were waiting for something to happened, because it takes them less time than anyone would have thought to gather a decent number of people to Leah's small shop, all of them ready to risk their lives for the cause. It would also seem the city guards are far too busy to notice that all of a sudden, several merchants are skipping out on their work to gather at a herbalist shop.
While waiting for people to arrive, Berwald and Matthias updated their maps from last night's discussions. They already have most of the plan in place. The last piece missing was finding the exact location of the black powders storages, but Matthias reconnaissance has given them a few likely targets that are their best option. So, they draw up the shortest route they can find between the merchant and guards district that goes mainly through the smaller and more unused back streets and decides that will have to do for a plan.
When they have enough people gathered to go through with everything, they tell them their plans, leaving little room for discussion or arguments, and then they set their plan into action.
It is quite impressive how smooth the operation goes along after that.
They pick out some people to stay behind in the merchant district, giving them instructions to find a safe place to hide, close to the wall until the rest of them return with the black powder. Ready to hide it all away somewhere in the district until they can smuggle them on to the common district and place them by the walls of the main square when the rebel army approach.
Fifteen people volunteer to go through with them to the more dangerous districts where capture will surely lead to interrogation and death if not worse. All of them seem ready to face the danger ahead.
Most of the guards appear to have gone for the guard district to deal with the alarm, but the rebels still cannot afford to be reckless and so they take measures not to be noticed.
Matthias and Berwald take the lead, bringing the group towards the wall and the closest guard-door. They are all attempting to look like they are out and about on their normal business, trying not to draw any attention from other people and the few guards that are still out on the street to keep order.
Matthias and Berwald in their uniforms move in first to open the door and check the hallway inside for people. Berwald holds the door open just a crack, waiting while Matthias opens the opposite door to check the next district. When he finds that one clear as well, he gives a signal and Berwald ushers the waiting group of rebels through the door and to the other side.
They leave the two doors unlocked as an escape route through the wall, and hope that no guards will take notice. If things go wrong and they have to run, nobody wants to be fiddling around with a key to make an escape. If the King does find out that somebody has left secret district doors unlocked it is not like he is going to find out who did it and it will never go back to the commoners. As far as anybody knows it could have been the rat's doing when they were breaking in.
They move through the noble district far quicker, not even caring whether they look suspicious or not. With the way that they are all dressed it is obvious that none of them belong here and so there is no use in pretending.
Not that there is anyone to see them out on the streets either. The nobles must have decided as a collective that the sound of warning bells is enough of a reason to hide themselves away in their homes and stay there until somebody else has dealt with the situation.
Reaching the guard district wall, Matthias and Berwald instruct their recruits to hide away into an alley and make their way back to Leah's if neither of them return within an hour's time and just assume that they have been caught or killed.
Then finally, the two of them can make their way into the guard district. Immediately upon entry, they feel a change in atmosphere like they have moved from a calm and clear autumn day into the thick of a thunderstorm within a few steps. The air feels thick and oppressive and the entire district darker than expected. It is not just because the surrounding walls are taller and leaving longer shadows, but the sun just seems dimmer even though there is barely a single cloud on the sky. There is no explanation for it.
"What the hell?" Matthias whispers while failing to suppress a shudder as even the temperature seems to have dropped. "Do you feel that?"
While he waits for a reply, he lets his attention wander towards his bond, wondering if he might be able to get a read on the situation from Lukas, but the bond is quiet. It is not the unsettling silence from when the King takes over control, but more like Lukas is just keeping a tight control over himself and his emotions. He might be busy keeping the King distracted and buying Matthias some time to move the black powder right underneath their noses, he was after all the one to suggest that they do it immediately or else the district will shut down.
Berwald looks around uncertainly and even he appears to struggle keeping his discomfort at bay. "It seems like it is coming from the castle," he says eventually. "Just look how dark it is around it."
"It must be magic," Matthias concludes darkly after coming up with no natural explanation for the change. He wonders just how powerful the King is, if it is he who has made the weather turn unnatural within the district, and how much damage can he do on his own if he just decides to unleash his powers. "The King must be furious," he continues. "I wonder what it is he might be doing to cause this."
"I don't care what it is," Berwald replies cooly. "I rather we just get what we came for and get out without knowing. As long as that does not spread throughout the entire city."
One last look at the castle and Matthias shivers. "You are probably right."
They move quickly to one of their first targets from Matthias maps. It is a small and unassuming building, standing a little bit away from most of the other building and looks like it has little purpose, but the two of them know that it is exactly what they were looking for.
Entering the front door, they find shelf upon shelf with armor, just like they hoped, and at the very back stands a thick, reinforced door.
"Guess my spying paid off," Matthias comment half-heatedly as the two of them stand before the door.
Berwald gives him a look and sighs. "Let's at least open the door first and check if there really is black powder there before we celebrate. He pushes on the door and curses as it refuses to give way. "They locked it," he grumbles. "It seems they learned a lesson after the last time."
Matthias hands him one of the keys from his pocket. "Try this?"
Berwald does try, but even if the key seems to fit in the lock, the mechanism refuses to turn, earning several more curses. Berwald stands up to inspect the door, taking note of the hinges and the lock as if he is trying to figure out an alternative way to get the door out of their way.
Then Matthias notices that the key still stuck uselessly in the lock is the iron one that he gave to the Rat King his men. Hesitantly he fishes the bronze one out from his pocket and offers that one up instead. "I don't know if this makes any difference, but try this one."
Berwald stops his pacing and takes the key from Matthias' hand and the one from the door to compare them. "Why would the guards have keys made from different material?" he wonders out loud.
"I don't know," Matthias lies, "but I did steal the keys from two different guards. They might not have the same rank and level of trust. The fancy one might belong to a guard with more trust, just try it."
Berwald still looks hesitant, but he puts the bronze key in the lock and twist slowly.
Sure enough, the lock gives way and the door swings open quietly on well-oiled hinges. They hold their breath as they peek inside and sure enough, the small room beyond the door has barrels stacked from floor to ceiling, and the smell that reaches them is sharp and familiar.
"Go get the others," Berwald says.
Matthias practically runs the entire way back through the empty streets and to the wall. He orders a few people to come with him and the rest to stand in wait, ready to move the barrels through the noble district. They seem hesitant at first when they notice the ominous change in atmosphere from one district to the other but are quick to turn their focus back to the task at hand.
Berwald is prepared by the time they get back, having already placed several barrels close to the front door for the storage so that all the rebels have to do is pick one up and go back. He also takes care in reorganizing the remaining barrels, leaving an empty space at the back by the wall and hiding it by moving the other further forward.
They have time for a few round back and forth and are considering just how much more they dare take when Matthias begins feeling uneasy all of a sudden. He scratches the brand on his arm, reaching out with his mind. It is habit and instinct at this point, but he knows immediately that this feeling is a warning. Whatever is keeping the soldiers occupied up at the castle is not going to keep them much longer.
It might only be minutes before guards come swarming back into the district and they need to get out immediately.
Matthias stops everything he is doing. "Ber, we need to go," he says. "We need to go right now."
He walks over to the door to glance up at the castle, but there is no visible change. The entire district is still unnaturally dark and the air seeming almost electric and the feelings across the bond are growing increasingly distressed, making Matthias firm in his belief.
Berwald does join him by the door, but after looking at the castle for himself he gives Matthias a strange look, clearly not understanding what is making Matthias so nervous. "Is this one of the times where I just have to trust you?" He asks, his tone even, but there is a distrustful look in his face.
Matthias turns towards his long-time friend with a sinking feeling of dread in his stomach. He knows that his time for keeping secrets has come to an end, but he is not going to tell Berwald everything that he has a right to, but Matthias is not going to tell him until they are all out of here and the city-rebels has the barrels tucked away and it is too late to change their plans. That way Berwald cannot back out of their plans if he reacts badly to Matthias's story.
It might be cruel to take his choice away like that, but Matthias does not want them to change their plans when they are so close. "Just trust me one more time and I promise I'll explain everything tonight."
Berwald just nods in response, being practical as ever, and it just makes Matthias feel even guiltier for keeping him in the dark.
When their recruits return for more barrels, Berwald quickly ushers them inside the storage with the message of: "This is the last trip. Grab what you can and we'll get out of here."
The merchants are far braver than Matthias would have believed was possible for a group of people that have lived most of their lives in relative safety, but they take the new order in stride, grabbing barrels and disappearing back into the district just as quickly. He stays behind with Berwald just a little while longer to close and lock the door properly behind them, leaving no immediate signs that anyone has been in here that should not have. It is only if somebody begins moving around barrels that they will discover the void in the very back.
With all of that done, the two of them make their own way back towards the noble district, a little more calmly as they have their armor to blend in.
The rest of their group is already gone by the time they reach the wall and all the barrels are gone with them, just like they planned. Only one man has remained behind to tell the two of them that everybody has made it past the wall and that they are not leaving anybody behind to roam in a district they are not supposed to be in.
The same message waits for them at the final wall to the merchant district, and the two of them make their way back to the apothecary and relative safety.
An excited Leah ushers them in and slams the door closed behind them once they reach the store, flinging the door open immediately after their first knock. Her face is red and there are wrinkles at the corner of her eyes as she smiles widely, holding up two dark bottles towards them. "Our heroes have returned," she says brightly, earning a few cheers from a few rebels in the main room that are already deep in their own bottles from the sight of it.
Matthias grabs one of the bottles and gives it a precautious sniff and recoils as the smell tells him the contents might be strong enough that fumes alone could get one drunk. "So, we're celebrating?"
"Damn straight we are!" she replies as she forces Berwald to accept the second bottle. "With the shit you all just pulled off, I say we deserve a celebration. Or at least a little something to calm our nerves." She gestures at the bottles. "That might be cheapest and most horrible stuff we could get our hands on, but it will do the job just fine."
Despite the nervous pit in his stomach for the conversation he knows is coming, Matthias cannot keep a smile off his face as she eyes the hopeful gathering of people that are congratulating each other on a job well done. It is nice to see people smiling again after so much time.
"Better not let the party get out of hand though," he comments lightly as to not dampen the mood. "We don't want any uninvited guests attracted by all that noise."
She shrugs, not looking at all worried, even taking a few sips of her own drink and grimacing at the taste. "I know, I know," she says eventually. "I will send them home soon, before they get too drunk. It is just nice to see everybody back, whole and hale and seeing it with my own two eyes. Gods, I would not even dare enter the noble district, and certainly not the guard district. You are all far braver souls than I" She leans in closer and lowers her voice. "Now drink your moonshine, doctors' orders."
She laughs as she strolls right into the group of celebrating rebels, clinging her bottle against theirs as they drink and talk brightly amongst each other.
True to her word, Leah only allows her guests to stay for another half hours or so before the tells them it is time to get back to their homes and their families for some well-deserved rest. She then begins the task of collecting bottles and clearing away papers from their frantic planning earlier to make her shop appear as a common apothecary once more.
Matthias considers if he should help her for just a second, but realizes it is a desperate attempt to postpone the inevitable conversation he is wanting to avoid. He takes a deep breath and turns to catch Berwald eye, making a gesture towards the stairs.
Berwald nods, and when he makes a move to put down his still untouched bottle of booze, Matthias shakes his head to stop him.
"You might want that in a minute or so," he says grimly, well aware that Berwald will disapprove of everything he has to say very quickly and the alcohol might dampen the blow. At least that is what he hopes.
They make their way upstairs, to the semi-privacy of their room and sit down on their meagre bedding, face to face. Matthias feels a little bit trapped being the one furthest from the door and with Berwald blocking off any route of escape. It is a clear signal. Matthias will not be getting out of here until he ha explained himself. He probably deserves that treatment though if he is being honest with himself.
Berwald fiddles with his bottle for a few seconds and then finally seems to run out of patience when Matthias hesitates too long. "You wanted to talk, so talk." His voice is hard, unyielding.
Still searching for some way to stall, Matthias takes e large sip from his bottle of moonshine, grimacing at the taste as he swallows. Whatever it is the merchant has brewed together, it is strong, and it burns the entire way down to his stomach where it settles uneasily. "There is just so much. I don't even know where to begin."
Berwald's expression hardens. "Let's begin with the Rat King then," he says. "You told me he's dead, but never told me any details. He never goes anywhere without at least a few members of his pack to keep him safe and he would never confront any of us unless he thought he had the upper hand. So how the hell did you manage to kill him and get out of there alive?"
"I'm not actually the one that killed him," Matthias admits. "I had help."
"Why does it sound like that's a bad thing?" Berwald asks. "What the hell did you do Matt? Who have you been working with?"
"Before I tell you that, I need you to know that he helped us for months." Matthias is already feeling like everything is falling apart. He has only just begun and Berwald is already beginning to look murderous. "We would not even have survived Griven if not for his help! He has fed me information since the day we rebelled and saved my life more than a few times since then. The first key I got to the city, I didn't steal it off some guard. He is the one that gave it to me."
"The night that Vilje got hurt," Berwald says slowly, and Matthias can practically see his mind working, trying to fit all the pieces together with the fragments of information that he has. "You lied to us! That's why I couldn't make sense of your story that night!"
Cursing quietly to himself, Matthias takes another large sip from the bottle. The alcohol burns almost as sharply as Berwald's tone and gaze, and it does nothing to dampen the guilt that churns in his stomach along with the moonshine. "It was an accident," he decides to say. Berwald does not have enough information yet to understand how magic made Lukas snap and almost kill both Vilje and himself when he is supposed to be helping them. "She was not supposed to follow me that night."
"So you just went out on your own in the middle of the night, in enemy territory to talk with whoever it is you have been plotting with."
Matthias cringes as his actions sound so much more foolish when he hears them spoken out like that, but nods in confirmation.
"Is that what happened today as well?" Berwald snarls. "You wanted to go off alone and find this person and then everything went to shit?"
"No," Matthias insists, but it comes out weak. "I went to find the black powder like we agreed, I did, but then I saw a clear route to the castle and figured there might be something up there of use to us and so I went." He grimaces as he realized just how stupid he sounds. It takes a special kind of idiot to head directly into the hornet's nest on a hunch. He should have stuck to their plan, stayed safe. Or as safe as one can be in a district with thousands of people wanting him dead at least. He is just so damned lucky it ended well and even to their advantage.
"The last time I went to the castle was when I got the second key for the Rat King." Matthias continues. "They barely have any guards up there, and there are so many rooms to explore with all sorts of things, weapons, alchemy ingredients, pretty much anything you can think of. Just wanted to have a look, maybe steal something useful." His words are leaving him rapidly, like there is no holding them back. He needs to get them all out now, all at once or not at all. "What I didn't know is that the Rat King had managed to follow me all the way into the district and then into the castle. I never saw any of them before they ambushed me in a hallway. Four of them including the Rat King."
He breathes rapidly, fighting to stay in control of his voice as he remembers the dread he felt. "They dragged me into a room that seemed important and they began going through everything so could steal anything that looked valuable. I thought I was a dead man, but then," He stutters as he struggles to find the right words. "My contact found us. He took down the rats on his own and saved my life."
"Who is this person!" Berwald demands. "If what you are saying is right, then this person has followed us through most of the Kingdom for months, and apparently he has access to the castle without problem while we are here. How is that even possible? How can he even stay that informed on everything and bring all that information back and forth! Oh, and then he somehow manages to take down four rats all on his own!"
"It's the King's commander," Matthias says, and he almost bites down ono his tongue as the words are out of his mouth, wishing he could take them back. "The one who has been helping us, helping me is Trollbunen."
Silence follows his admission. Thick and cloying, stealing all the air from the room.
Matthias does not know how to fully interpret the look on Berwald's face right then. There is shock of course, maybe a little bit of horror even. But what really hurts to see is the betrayal, plain as day.
Berwald stands up then, still quiet, face cold and unreadable as a slate of stone.
"Please say something," Matthias pleads, standing up as well. "I swear to you, he is on our side. I can prove it."
"I need some air," Berwald snaps, and before Matthias has the time to say another word, he is out the door and stomping down the stairs. The front door slams only seconds later and Berwald is gone.